CommerceNet Acquires XML Exchange from XMLSolutions

Foundation for Global eRegistry Service Vital to XML-based Electronic Commerce

WASHINGTON, DC, July 13, 1998 -- Only ten weeks after its initial launch, the XML Exchange [http://www.xmlx.com] has been acquired. CommerceNet, the leading worldwide electronic commerce consortium, announced today that they have acquired the website from XMLSolutions, LLC, to form the foundation of CommerceNet's eRegistry Service. It is the first in a set of services announced by CommerceNet on May 21, 1998.

"XML will have a dramatic impact on the future development and growth of electronic commerce," said Randall Whiting, President and CEO of CommerceNet. He further stated that XML will have a broader impact than many people anticipate and will enable a new level of interoperability between applications, companies, and industries. This level of interoperability will enable companies to form many new business models and approaches to business. This higher degree of interoperability will create a dramatic growth in new forms of e-commerce allowing companies to more tightly integrate supply chains, allow cooperative product design and development, and create new levels of integration between business partners. "The simplicity of XML means cost and learning barriers will no longer keep your smallest suppliers and individual customers from participating directly in your e-commerce information stream," stated Jeffrey Ricker, co-founder of XMLSolutions. "Such barriers have kept other technologies like EDI and SGML from reaching their intended potential."

Why a registry service is vital XML places information in context with simple markup tags. Anyone can create new tags in XML but to ensure interoperability and promote the exchange of information, it is essential that the same tag be used to mean the same thing. A registry service enables the sharing of tags and the content that uses themAs a component of its eRegistry Service, CommerceNet's XML Exchange will provide:

Easy and open posting of content so anyone may submit new tag sets for immediate availability to anyone who wants access,

Integrity checks to assure accuracy during submission as well as downloading,